Water-wheel.



PATENTED EEB. 28, 1905.

z SHEETS-SHEET 1.

A. E. SPARKS.

WATER WHEEL.

APPLIUATION FILED 1320.12. 1903.

jghmne@ www PATENTED FEB. 28, 1905.

A. F. SPARKS. lWATER WHEEL. APPLIUATION FILED DEG. 12. 1903.

z SHEETS-SHEET 2.

llil'o. 783,761.

imap STATES :Patented February 28, lg.

PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT F. SPARKS, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO, ASSlGNtHt TO Tlll JAMES LEFFELet OO., OF SPRINGFIELD, (ll-HO, A UORlORA'lltlN OF MOH'IO.

WATER-WHEEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 783,7 61, datedFebruary 28, 1905.

VApplication filed December 12, 1903. Serial No. 184.881.

To (1J/Z Ywho/n, 111'; may concern:

Beit known that l, ALBERT F. fdr/inns, a citizen of the United States,residing at Springlield, in the county of Olarh and State of Ohio,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Water-f heels, ofwhich the following is a specification, reference being had therein tothe accompanyingdrawings.

'lhis invention relates to water-wheels, and more specifically towater-wheels ofthe turbine type, particularly to the class ofturbinewheels which comprises a double wheel or, what amounts to thesame thing, two wheels mounted on a single shaft or a plurality ofcoupled shafts, rotating' in a vertical plane around a horizontalaXis,-having a doublelateral discharge in opposite direct-ions intoseparate d raft-tu bes. Heretofore in water-wheels of this class it hasbeen found in practice that the vacuum in the upper portions of the twodraft-tubes is frequently unequal, being greater in the one than in theother, thus producing a tendency to lateral movement of the wheel and aconsequent end thrust of the shaft, which is obviously objectionable.

lt is the object of my present invention to provide a constructionwhereby this objectionable end thrust may be avoided without impairingthe efhciency of the turbine, the structure being such that an equalvacuum is maintained in both drafttubes` under all working conditions.

'llo this end my invention consists in combining with a structure ofthis class an equalizing pipe or conduit connecting the upper portionsof the draft-tubes in such a way as to provide a free and unobstructedcommunication between them, thus insuring an equalizing of the vacuum insaid tubes and a consequent absence of unbalanced side pressure on thewheel and end thrust of the shaft.

ln theaccompanying drawings, Figure l is a central vertical sectionalview of a structure embodying my invention in one form, and Fig. .2 is asimilar view of another of the numerous embodiments of which theinvention is capable.

Referring first to the construction illustralied in Fig. 1, thereferencenumeral 1 indicates a horizontal shaft uponwhieh is mounted adouble wheel proper or runner 2,

having a series of buckets 3 on each side of its central plane, which isvertical. This wheel is inclosed in a surround ing casing Il, into whichthe water is conducted in any suitable manner and from which it passesto the wheel through an annular inlet 5. The water after passing throughthel wheel or runner is in the present instance discharged laterallyfrom both sides thereof through discharge-pipes 6, the two parts of thedischarge movingl in opposite directions. The pipes (5 connect withelbows 7, which form the upper portions of the draft-tubes 8, lying onopposite sides of the wheel. The elbows? are preferably provided withstufling-boxes 9 for the shaft 1. All of these parts may be of anyapproved construction and relative arrangement.

l() indicates an equalizing pipe or conduit connecting the upperpertions of the two drafttubes ilulependently7 of the wheel or wheels.rihis conduit is free and unobstructed and preferably arises from thetop of one of the elbows 7, passes over the casing 4, and thendownward-to a connection with the other elbow 7 at the top thereof. Bymeans of this conduit the vacuum existing in the upper portions of thetwo draft-tubes is always maintained at an equality, so that there isnever any excess pressure due to this cause on one side or the other ofthe wheel or runner and all end thrust of the shaft is done away with.

The construction just described in detail is manifestly only one of'anumber of forms in which the invention may be embodied, as it isapplicable to any water-wheel mechanism where a plurality of wheels aremounted on a common shaft or connecting-shafting, said wheels havingseparate draft tubes. The double wheel shown in Fig. l and justdescribed may obviously be considered as two single wheels placedimmediately adjacent to each other, and such immediate proximity of thewheels is in no way essential to my invention, as will be seen from aconsideration of the structure ,shown in Fig. i2, in which theconstruction is identical in its main features with that alreadydescribed, except that instead of the double wheel 2 two single wheelsl1 are employed, discharging' in opposite directions, as before, so asto' balance each other. In both of the constructions shown the wheelsare inclosed in a single casing; but it is obvious that a separatecasing for each wheel may be employed and that the position of thedraft-tubes relatively to the wheels may be varied as desired; nor isthe invention restricted in its application to two wheels or itsequivalent, adouble wheel. I further wish it understood that the termdraft-tube is employed by me in the description and claims herein in itsbroadest form, including therein all of the discharge-conduit thatreceives the water from the wheel, beginning at the wheel. I thereforewish it to be distinctly understood that my invention is not limited tothe two particular forms or arrangements of waterwheel mechanism shown,and it is, moreover, obvious that my invention is not limited to theparticular details of construction shown and described.

Heretofore in structures of the class to which my invention relateswhere a double runner or wheel has been employed it has been thepractice, where the wheel is of a suiicient di-Y ameter in proportion tothe amount of water passing through it, to equalize the vacuum on thetwo sides of the wheel by forming a passage through the hub or centralportion of .the wheel, and where the conditions are such as to theproportions between the diameter and discharge of the wheel that thedischarge-water does not obstruct this communicating passageequalization of the vacuum may be thus obtained through the wheel; butin the case of a double wheel,where these conditions do not obtain, itis found in practice that the volume of the discharge-water, the spaceoccupied by it, and at other times other factors result in soobstructing any passage or passages which may be formed through thewheel itself as to prevent the same from acting' as anequalizing-conduit. It will be observed that in the construction which Ihave devised the equalizing-conduit is entirely independent of the wheeland does not pass through the wheel, but around the same, being entirelyexternal as to the wheel. It will also be observed that where the wheelsare located at separated points the employment of a passage or passagesthrough the wheel is impracticable. By the employment of avacuum-equalizing conduit which is independent of the wheel or wheelsand external relatively thereto I provide a means for equalizing thevacuum unshaft on which said wheels are mounted, and

separate draft-tubes for said wheels,of a vacuum-equalizing conduitconnecting the upper portions of said draft-tubes independently of thewheels, substantially as described.

2. The combinationwith two water-wheels discharging laterally inopposite directions, an inclosing supply-casing,and acolnmon hori-Zontal shaft on which both wheels are mounted,of separatedraft-tubes,one for each wheel, and a vacuum-equalizing conduitconnecting the upper portions of said draft-tubes independently of thewheels, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a double waterwheel discharging inopposite'directions, a supply-casing inclosing said wheel, and a hori-Zontal shaft on which said wheel is mounted, of a separate draft-tubefor each discharge of said wheel, and a vacuum-equalizing pipeconnecting' .the upper portions of said draft-tubes independently of thewheel, substantially as described.

4:. The combination, with a double waterwheel discharging in oppositedirections, a supply-casing inclosing said wheel, and a hori- Zontalshaft on which said wheel is mounted, of a separate draft-tube for eachdischarge of said wheel, each draft-tube comprising an elbow at itsupper end connecting the body of the tube with the correspondingdischarge, and a vacuum-equalizing pipe connecting the said elbowsindependently of the wheel, substantially as described.

1n testimony whereof I afHX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT F. SPARKS.

iiifitnesses:

ALBERT H. KUNKLE, 'IRVINE MILLER.

